William a



(No Model.)

W. A. MCGUIRE & G. HUBBARD, J1! RATGHET BRAKE HANDLE.

No. 577,490. Patented Feb. 23, 1897.

UNITE STATES 'A'IENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE AND MOSES G. HUBBARD, J R., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THE MCGUIRE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

RATCHET BRAKE-HAN DLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,490, dated February 23, 1897.

Application filed June 18, 1896. Serial No. 595,958. (No model.)

To. all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. MCGUIRE and MOSES G. HUBBARD, J r., citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ratchet Brake-Handles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the brakehandle, the staff to which it is secured being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts inclosed within the head of the brake-handle, said head portion being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken at line a: a", of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top View of the collar that is secured at the lower end of the head of the brake-handle; and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the head of the brake-handle, the clutch and other parts being removed therefrom. All of the figures except Fig. 1 represent the parts full size.

Our invention relates to ratchet brake-handles designed primarily for use upon streetcars, and has for its objects to provide the handle with an improved clutch, and also novel and effective means for firmly uniting the brake-handle and brake-staff. These objects we attain by the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

That which we regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, A indicates a brake-handle of ordinary form, the hollow head of said handle being indicated by a.

B indicates a collar lying against the lower open end of the head a and having a wall that is formed with said collar projecting into the head a. On this wall of the collar are formed camshaped projections b, which, when the collar is turned, will engage with cam projections a, formed on the interior of the head a at its lower end. Two of the cam projections a and b are shown, but another number may be employed, if desired.

b indicates a nut formed on the lower face of the collar B, to which a wrench may be applied for turning it into place to bring the several cams a and 19 into engagement with each other.

The connection made between the head and collar by means of the cam projections referred to is one that will not under ordinarycircumstances be broken or disturbed, but to prevent the possibility of the collar loosening at any time a screw 6 is inserted through the wall of the head a into the upwardly-projecting wall of the collar, the head of the screw being received in a socket in a small boss that is formed by a side projection from the head a and collar B. (See Fig. 2.)

C and D indicate lower and upper members, respectively, of a clutch located within the brake-handle head a, the circular portions of each of said members being of a size to fit closely within the lower portion of the head a and yet permit the uppermember to be freely moved up and down therein. The lower member C of the clutch has formed on its lower side a stem-piece c, which passes down through and is rotatable in the collar 13, and is suitably secured by a pin 0 or otherwise to the brake -statf E, which passes through both members of the clutch and which is squared for that portion of its length that pas'sses through the lower member C, as seen by reference to Fig. 3. That portion of the brake-staff above the squared portion referred to is diminished in size and, as shown, is rounded in cross-section, and its end projects into a correspondingly-shaped socket c in the upper head of the brake-handle head a. The upper member D of the clutch has on its upper face a square hollow stem d, through which passes the round upper end of the staff E, around which end and within the. hollow stem d is a coiled spring F, bearing against the upper end of the head a andjthe upper member D of the clutch, its purpose being to hold the members of the clutch in acting position, as shown in the drawings.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the wall of the head a is thickened at d opposite the hollow stem in such manner as to project so as to form a guide for the stem d, and while the projections, as shown, are narrow they-may be very considerably broadened, so as to form the upper part of the interior of the head a into a square chamber. By making the de vice as shown, however, less metal is employed, which is desirable, and as perfect a guide is formed for the hollow stem (1 as if much thicker projections d were employed. As with the construction shown a portion at least of the upper part of the interior of the head a is square, we shall term the upper portion a square chamber.

lVhile the stem (Z and its chamber are herein termed square, it is to be understood that such parts may be made of other angular shapes and be equally effective, and we therefore do not by such expression mean to be limited to the particular shape shown.

The projections d, it will be noticed, are formed on the wall of the head a at such a point as to permit the opposing teeth of the two members of the clutch to clear each other whenever a reverse movement of the handle A is made for the purpose of bringing such handle to a more advantageous position with reference to the operator, and upon the haudle being reversed to the desired position the spring F will act to force the two members of the clutch into engagement again. In this up-and-down movement of the upper member of the clutch it will be accurately and smoothly guided, as its circular head end fits within the cylindrical or lower chamber of the head a, while its squared upwardly-extending stem (1 fits within the square chamber at the upper end of the head that is formed by the projecting portions d of the wall of thehead, and is therefore always in proper position to receive the power applied to the handle A and, through its connection with the lower member of the clutch, operate the brake-staff E.

The collar 13, fitting closely around the stem 0 of the lower member C of the clutch and upon which such member 0 rests, excludes practically all dust and grit from the interior of the handle-head, and by reason of being wedged into position by means of the pair of opposing cam-shaped projections a b secures the parts in place in a very secure manner, even when the device as a whole is subjected to very rough usage. \Vhen it is desired to obtain access to theinterior of the l1andle-head or for any purpose, all that is necessary to be done is to turn the collar back by means of a wrench applied to the nut 1) until the cam projections 19 011 such collar are clear of the cam projections a on the interior of the head a and opposite the spaces between said last-named cam projections, and then the handle canbe lifted oil from the end of the brake-stall";

That which we claim as our invent-ion, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A brake-handle having a chambered head adapted to contain clutch mechanism, and provided 011 its inner surface near the lower end with a projection, in combination with a collar having a like projection adapted to interlock with the first-named projection, and a set-screw threaded into the handle, the head of which screw is held in a socket formed partly in the handle and partly in the collar, substantially as specified.

2. A brake-staff having near its upper end a collar, a fixed clutch member of a diameter less than that of the collar, a loose clutch member above and adapted to codperate with the fixed clutch member,a downwardly-actin g spring for the loose clutch member, a brakehandle having at its lower end a socket inclosing said clutch members and spring, a shoulder for the upper end of the spring to abut against, and a fixed connection with said collar, substantially as set forth.

WVILLIAM A. MCGUIRE. MOSES G. HUBBARD, JR. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, IIoLMEs A. TILDEN. 

